The dictatorship of Daniel Ortega on Sunday expelled two imprisoned Nicaraguan bishops along with 15 priests and seminarians.

The clerics were sent to the Vatican.

Nicaraguan media outlets La Prensa and Confidencial first reported on the release, indicating that among those released was Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa and Bishop Isidoro Mora of Siuna.

Auxiliary Bishop Silvio José Báez of Managua, exiled due to persecution by the Ortega dictatorship, confirmed the news of the release of the bishops, priests, and seminarians in tears: “Our pastors are free.”

The released clerics arrived in Rome on Sunday afternoon and were welcomed as “guests of the Holy See,” according to Vatican News.